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Water Main Replacement Project FAQ
- Can the construction team provide a safety orientation for the school?
- Will there be open trenches at night?
- Will property North of Washtenaw or South of Packard be affected?
- Will the sewer leads be impacted during construction?
- How deep will the new pipes be buried?
- Will our water services need to be repaired?
- Is there going to be a change of pressure?
- Is there any plan to remove trees?
- Is there a risk of water main break flooding my basement?
- Is there a penalty for the contractor if he does not meet the time line?
- What do you mean by replacing the service?
- How many days notice will we be given prior to work being done?
- What will the street resurfacing look like?
- Is the contractor going to do the bore first and the service later?
- How much digging will there be at my property?
- What can we expect when the new service is hooked up? Will there be particles in my water?
- Should we notify the Utilities Department if we are not going to be home?
- Are you going to excavate across the road for water services?
- Will we be notified if the new main must be relocated?
- How will the money be handled?
- What is the cost of the project?
- Is the new main going behind the curb?
- How far off of the curb will this new main be?
- Are we increasing the number of hydrants?
- Will the hydrants go on the same side as the new main?
- Can you explain the funding source?
- Why is there a video truck driving through my neighborhood?
- Why are there large piles of dirt on my street?
- Who is responsible for road grading?
- Why has the grade of my road been raised during the construction process?
- There may be root damage to my tree, what should I do?
- Why is there water coming out of the ground at the corner of Grant and Packard?
- Will my landscaping be restored after construction?
- Can you guarantee that my house will never flood again?
- Why is there a machine sitting near my house when they are installing my service?
- Can you stop the contractors from using profanity?
- Who do I call about project complaints?
- When will restoration be completed?
- Can the construction team provide a safety orientation for the school?
The Township has offered to provide a safety orientation to Carpenter School.
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- Will there be open trenches at night?
Trenches must be left in a safe manner and will be protected with orange construction fence.
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- Will property North of Washtenaw or South of Packard be affected?
There may be brief water shutdowns necessary during construction that could affect these areas.
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- Will the sewer leads be impacted during construction?
The goal is to miss all leads with the new construction, however some may be impacted.
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- How deep will the new pipes be buried?
Unless there is interference with other utilities, the new pipe will be 5.5' deep.
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- Will our water services need to be repaired?
Your service will be replaced from the new main to the right-of-way-line.
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- Is there going to be a change of pressure?
The pressure will remain the same, however there will be an increase in available flow.
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- Is there any plan to remove trees?
Some trees will be removed. The trees to be removed will be painted and identified.
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- Is there a risk of water main break flooding my basement?
It is possible but highly unlikely.
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- Is there a penalty for the contractor if he does not meet the time line?
There is a penalty, however it excludes situations beyond the control of the contractor such as weather.
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- What do you mean by replacing the service?
The Township is replacing the water service to your home from the new main to the right-of-way.
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- How many days notice will we be given prior to work being done?
The Township will attempt to give you a three day notice.
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- What will the street resurfacing look like?
Where the contractor excavates the pavement, the road will be replaced with 5 inches of asphalt and 10 inches of gravel.
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- Is the contractor going to do the bore first and the service later?
Yes, the bore will be first and the service will be connected after the new main has passed all testing requirements.
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- How much digging will there be at my property?
In most cases, a small excavation at the service location (5 feet by 5 feet) is necessary. For some properties located at intersections, additional excavation may be required.
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- What can we expect when the new service is hooked up? Will there be particles in my water?
The water will be clean, but there may be some air in the lines.
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- Should we notify the Utilities Department if we are not going to be home?
It is not necessary to notify the Utilities Department.
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- Are you going to excavate across the road for water services?
The services across the road will be bored, there will not be excavation across the road.
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- Will we be notified if the new main must be relocated?
There should not be a need to change the design; however, any changes will be posted on the Township website: www.pittsfield-mi.gov.
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- How will the money be handled?
The project is being handled through the Drinking Water Revolving Fund.
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- What is the cost of the project?
Total project cost is expected to be nearly $7,800,000.00 ($7.8 million dollars).
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- Is the new main going behind the curb?
Yes, the new main will be between the curb and the right-of-way.
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- How far off the curb will this new main be?
Generally 5 to 8 feet, but it is dependant on the location of the existing watermain.
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- Are we increasing the number of hydrants?
There will be new hydrants installed approximately every 500 feet, which will represent an increase in the overall number of hydrants.
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- Will the hydrants go on the same side as the new main?
Generally yes.
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- Can you explain the funding source?
Funding for this project comes mainly from low interest loans through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. These loans are made available at an interest rate of 2.5%. The overall loan for this project will be approximately $4.8 million dollars and paid back over a twenty year period. The funding for payback will come from revenues created through the water billing process from the entire Township. Federal funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is giving the Township a 40% forgiveness; therefore, the entire project of $7.8 million will only cost rate payers $4.7 million in payback over the twenty year period.
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- Why is there a video truck driving through my neighborhood?
Prior to any construction of this magnitude, a video of the entire project area is necessary to record conditions prior to any excavation. This is necessary to offset any claims that may not be associated with the water main project.
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- Why are there large piles of dirt on my street?
The piles are excavation spoils. They are temporarily kept on site until the condition at the dump site allows for trucking. Recent heavy rain has prevented trucking. The spoil pile at the end of Crystal will be removed.
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- Who is responsible for road grading?
The Washtenaw County Road Commission is responsible for general road maintenance. However, if the road is in poor condition due to the construction process, the contractor is responsible for making the road passable.
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- Why has the grade of my road been raised during the construction process?
The final road grade should not change. We have topographic survey and will verify the grade. If it has changed, the contractor is required to restore it to the existing grade.
- There may be root damage to my tree, what should I do?
Please call Phil Maly at Stantec and he will visit the site to determine the condition of the tree. Phil Maly’s phone number is (734) 214-1874.
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- Why is there water coming out of the ground at the corner of Grant and Packard?
The leak is at a valve on the old line. Due to the cost to repair this issue, the Township is allowing the small leak until the new main is in service. The old line will be abandoned soon which will eliminate the leak.
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- Will my landscaping be restored after construction?
Yes it will be restored to the original condition. However, it may not be replaced in the exact same location, due to the location of the water service and water shut off box.
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- Can you guarantee that my house will never flood again?
No, we cannot guarantee it will never flood again. However, we are investigating each flood complaint to determine the cause and how flooding can be avoided in the future.
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- Why is there a machine sitting near my house when they are installing my service?
The machine is a drilling rig used to bore under the road to connect the long side service. The machine sits away from the road to allow it to drill down to the required depth.
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- Can you stop the contractors from using profanity?
We discussed this with the contractors in our most recent progress meeting.
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- Who do I call about project complaints?
All flooding complaints should be directed to the Utilities Department at (734) 822-2105. All water main project specific complaints should be directed to Phil Maly at (734) 214-1874.
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- When will restoration be completed?
Restoration should begin in July. Final restoration will be mostly complete by November 15, 2010. The areas where final restoration is not completed by November 15th, will have temporary restoration completed for the winter months.
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